American Medical Systems Establishes Manufacturing Operation Athlone

American Medical Systems Establishes Manufacturing Operation in Athlone

Leading Life Sciences Company Invests €4.6 Million, Significantly Adding to the Midlands Medical Technology Cluster
Athlone, American Medical Systems Holdings (AMS), the leading supplier of medical devices to treat urological and pelvic health conditions, today, (Wednesday, February 16th) , announced that it is to establish a manufacturing operation in Athlone with the creation of 50 new jobs and plans for future expansion. The new operation will involve an investment of €4.6 million, and is supported by the Irish Government with the aid of IDA Ireland.

The new facility will be a key manufacturing facility for AMS mesh products used in the treatment of female continence products and pelvic floor repair, while also manufacturing some male continence products. The Irish operation will have full responsibility for all stages in the manufacturing of these products including sourcing and procuring raw materials, production planning and manufacturing, quality control, sterilisation, final packaging and shipping to AMS distribution centres in Belgium and the United States.

"This is the first manufacturing operation AMS has established outside of the United States, and it is of significant strategic importance as the company grows its international presence," said Thomas Rasmussen, Vice President of Global Operations and Supply Chain, of AMS. "The decision to locate in Athlone was strongly based on the cluster of leading life sciences companies located here and the opportunity to partner with such companies in the processes carried out by AMS. I would like to thank the IDA for their support in setting this up and look forward to building on the AMS/IDA relationship as we grow our Irish operations."

Welcoming the announcement, Barry O'Leary, IDA CEO said, "This is an excellent addition to the Midlands Medical Technology cluster and will have a beneficial impact on direct and indirect employment in the region. Manufacturing continues to remain a core strategic pillar of the Irish economic landscape and ‘Horizon 2020' IDA's strategy blueprint identifies high-value manufacturing as a key target area. Today's announcement is in keeping with this target and demonstrates that Ireland is very much open for business in the area of high-value manufacturing activities. I would like to take this opportunity to wish AMS every success with this venture and offer the continued support of IDA Ireland as the company develops in Ireland."
For further information, please contact:

IDA Ireland
Thomas McEvoy, Press and PR Manager, Tel: +353 (0) 1 603 4256,
Mob: +_353 (0) 87 7426684
Antoinette Tyrrell, Press Officer, Tel: +353 (0) 1 603 4256,Mob: +353 (0) 87 7572053
AMS
Mark Heggestad, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Tel: (952) 930 6495

Job Inquiries
Sean Gannon, c/o Collins McNicholas 090 64 78104
www.collinsmcnicholas.ie/ams